Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR), a biotechnology company developing transformative cell and exosome-based therapeutics for rare diseases, today announced that it has received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its Biologics License Application (BLA) for Deramiocel, the Company's lead cell therapy candidate for the treatment of cardiomyopathy associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

In the CRL, the FDA stated that it had completed its review of the application but is unable to approve the BLA in its current form, specifically citing that the BLA does not meet the statutory requirement for substantial evidence of effectiveness and the need for additional clinical data. The CRL also referenced certain outstanding items in the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) section of the application, most of which Capricor believes it has addressed in prior communications to the FDA. However, these materials were not reviewed by the FDA due to the timing of the CRL issuance. The FDA confirmed that it will restart the review clock upon resubmission. In addition, the agency offered the company the opportunity to request a Type A meeting to discuss the path forward. Capricor plans to engage further with the FDA to determine the appropriate next steps.

Capricor's BLA for Deramiocel was granted Priority Review in March 2025 and was supported by data from the HOPE-2 trial, its open-label extension (OLE), and natural history comparisons from FDA-funded datasets.